‘Literally filled with love’: How the #LovePurse campaign helps domestic violence survivors
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Maria Castro’s name in a photo caption.
The purses are new, never used.
Maria Castro insists on that. When domestic violence survivors and women in need receive a #LovePurse, they’re given their own new shoulder or tote bag, thoughtfully filled with hygiene products.
“She needs to understand how special she is and that this new journey deserves a new everything,” Castro said.
What started as a one-woman project in 2021 — Castro buying toiletries for women at a homeless shelter — turned into the #LovePurse organization and, some say, a movement. It’s resonated on social media and far beyond Castro. Other women — Castro calls them “Angel Ambassadors” — have organized purse-packing events.
“We always have purses for folks when they arrive,” said Julia Forte, volunteer and outreach coordinator for Metropolitan Family Services, an organization whose DuPage branch runs the only emergency domestic violence shelter in the county.
Some people have asked if Castro would get more purses if she accepted used ones. But a new purse presents a couple of things, Forte said.
“It presents a new start. It presents dignity, which is something that not everybody feels they deserve. And sometimes in these situations, you may just take what you can.”
As Castro often says, it’s not just a purse.
‘Filled with love’
The idea behind #LovePurse came to Castro as she was sorting through toiletries she purchased for a shelter in Chicago.
“I just thought about it for a moment … I would really love to make it a little bit more special so that it’s not in a plastic bag,” said Castro, who lives in Riverside.
So she ordered big purses that would fit all the items. And she added a note of affirmation in each purse. That Women’s History Month, Castro put out a social media appeal inviting people to join her.
“We are in critical mode right now, and we as women always step up for each other. Please consider doing this,” Castro recalled.
It was an easy concept to get behind during the pandemic.
“To my surprise, we had collected, at the end of March, a couple of hundred purses,” Castro said.
The campaign grew from there. Castro now counts ambassadors in different cities and countries. There are red #LovePurse T-shirts, corporate supporters and a fundraising gala. Purses for women in cancer treatment carry special lotions and deodorants.
“When you hear her talk about it, you just feel how much she cares about it, how much she's been personally impacted, and how much care goes into what the items are,” Forte said of Castro. “They're literally filled with love.”
A purse can also provide a sense of security.
“It is such a piece of us when we walk out the door. My mom and I, we have always carried a Rosary in our purse,” Castro said.
‘She matters’
A bipartisan group of state lawmakers recently collected more than 150 purses across DuPage County to support Family Shelter Service’s annual Holiday Shoppe event for people in domestic violence programming.
“When we put the purses out for display, people often say this one was calling to me,” Forte said.
The #LovePurse organization lists the items to fill purses: deodorant, soap, body lotion, hand sanitizer, a toothbrush and toothpaste, lip balm, a comb and brush, full-size shampoo and conditioner, a face cloth, a compact mirror, chocolates, mints, floss and a note pad and pen, among other essentials.
Each purse also contains an empowering note.
“I think that the message is probably even more important than the toiletries because it makes her understand at that moment that somebody took the time, went out and bought everything to make her feel special, but also to let her know that she matters,” Castro said.
She read a few examples.
“Some just say, ‘Hey, beautiful, I just want to let you know how strong you are,’” Castro said. “‘I'm so sorry for what you have been through. No one deserves that, and especially not you. Always remember you are worthy.’”